Brake lights on when the trailer is connected.

[iflyfish]

Greetings.

I have an 02 Tacoma that I had a Tekonsha Voyager brake controller installed in. I noticed when I hooked it up for the first time that the as soon as I connect the round trailer connector from the camper, the brake lights on the truck go on. I also have no brake lights on the camper. Everything else seems to work fine. I have running lights, turn signals, the trailer brakes work fine, etc.

As soon as I unplug the connection to the trailer, the brake lights on the truck go back out.

Anyone else seen anything like this? Am I missing something in the installation process?

Thanks much.
-Eric

[Roland]

That would be caused by shorted or improper wiring. It could be either on the truck or the trailer side. If you know the trailer correct I'd question the brake controller install. Either plug the trailer into someone elses truck or plug a different trailer into your plug and see what happens to narrow it down.

[iflyfish]

Thanks Roland. I'll see if I can find someone that has a trailer and a truck with a brake controller installed.

Edit - We had towed the same camper, with the same Voyager controller, in a Tundra for the last two years - with no issues. I check the trailer over pretty well after winter storage, just in case a mouse nibbled on a wire somewhere. Everything on the trailer looks good. I have to believe that the guys that did the brake controller install have something messed up. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't some sort of module that was needed with the Tacoma, or something obvious that was missed.

-Eric

[maverick491]

Sounds to me like the outfit that installed your brake controller tapped the wrong wire for the brake output, or did not splice or insullate correctly. Something is shorting accross somewhere. Also, I would tend to suspect that as of right now you have either NO trailer brakes or fully engaged trailer brakes at all times. Either case is VERY BAD. Take the truck itself back to them, and have them sort it out, you paid them for a job that is not correctly completed, it's there problem to fix, and stand there over their shoulder to make sure that they tape up or heat shrink up anything they touch so that you don't get 500 miles down the road and have a problem again. If you don't want to trust them then send me some pictures of how they hooked it up, wiring, with voltage readings with the truck off, truck on, and brake pedal depressed, and I'll try to sort it out for you.

[iflyfish]

Ok, I think we have most of the issues figured out. The trailer brakes work, turn signals work, running lights work, I can shift into gears without the trailer attached, etc.

Now, the only issue that remains is the brake lights. As soon as I plug the trailer into the 7-pin connection on the truck, the brake lights on the truck come on. They stay on, even when the truck is off, until it is physically disconnected.

Any ideas? Someone else mentioned that I may need some sort of converter, to covert the seperate tail/brake lights of the truck to the combined tail/brake lights on the trailer. If so, does anyone know what that might look like? Any part number or anything.

Thanks for the help.
-Eric